Brothers
by IceShadow27
Summary: *major spoilers from Fading Echoes*  Jayfeather's starting to get stressed out because of recent events. He still blames himself for not stopping Hollyleaf or not being able to fix Briarlight's hind legs. Can his brother Lionblaze manage to cheer him up?


**A small FanFic written for my Creative Writing class. I was happy with how it turned out and decided to post it up here.**

**!WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FROM OMEN OF THE STARS: FADING ECHOES!**

_**Noticec:** **The Warrior Cats series and the charaters belongs to Erin Hunter, even though I wish Jayfeather was mine, lol. This is completely fan made only!**_

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**BROTHERS**

**Jayfeather**

Jayfeather gave a mental sigh in frustration as he tried yet again to get Briarlight to eat the herbs he had mixed for her. "Why should I," She said, tucking her head deeper into the moss bedding "It's not going to help me feel my hind legs again…"

Jayfeather flicked his tail in annoyance before shaking his head. "Fine, I won't have you take them now. But you still need to do your stretches."

"But-"Briarlight interrupted, but stopped short when the blind tom gave her a cold glare.

"Jayfeather, are you there?" Came a soft meow from the entrance of the medicine cats' den.

Jayfeather made sure Briarlight was doing her stretches before he made his way up to the entrance. He caught the scent of Cinderheart as he stepped outside of the den. "Yes." He said, tilting an ear as he heard Briarlight gasp in pain as she did her stretches. Guilt swept over him, but he pushed it aside. There was nothing he could do; the branch that had fallen on her had broken her spine, rendering her hind legs useless. All he could do was keep giving her herbs and making her stretch and move to keep the fluid from filling her chest.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Cinderheart asked

He felt his pelt heat up from embarrassment before he shook his head; mentally kicking himself for getting lost in his thoughts. Jayfeather sensed Cindrhearts' amusement as she began repeating herself. Thanking her he made his way to his leaders' den. Firestar had wanted to talk to him. _'About the prophecy no doubt'_ he thought bitterly. For the past half-moon Jayfeather had been asked constantly if he had received any signs from StarClan. It was starting to get under his skin.

Jayfeather gave a hiss when he felt a sharp rock dig into his paw pad as he climbed the rocky slope to Firestars' den. Stopping, he lifted his paw and ran his tongue over it; the taste of dirt filled his mouth when he found the rock. Grabbing it with his teeth Jayfeather gave a tug, flinching as the rock came out. Throwing it away from the path, he cleaned his paw; removing the small bead of blood that had started to form.

Testing his paw he continued walking till he reached the entrance of his leader's den. He gave a low meow and waited until he heard Firestar say he could come in and padded into the den.

The coolness of the cave welcomed him as he sat down and wrapped his tail neatly over his paws. Jayfeather heard the older tom shift in his nest, sensing waves of anxiety coming from him like rippling water.

The medicine cat felt sorry for his leader. Firestar still had the recent battle with ShadowClan heavy on his mind. The death of Russetfur, ShadowClan's deputy and the clan's dark threat had put the orange tom on edge, that and losing another of his nine lives. Jayfeather mentally shook away the cold feeling that he felt as he yet again suspected it had been the work of Tigerstar and the other cats from the Dark Forest.

"So, Jayfeather," His leader began, like all the other times he was going to asked about the prophecy. "Have you gotten any signs from StarClan, any dreams or visions?"

Jayfeather let out an irritated sigh as he felt the fur along his spine start to rise. "No, I haven't. Just like the last time you asked me or the other thousand times for that matter! " At the end he was nearly yowling in frustration. No, he hadn't gotten any signs from their ancestors. Why couldn't Firestar understand that? "If I had you would be the first to know." Jayfeather ignored the flash of hurt and weariness that he sense from his leader as he turned and stormed out of the den.

He was trying, trying his hardest. Why couldn't any of them get that through their heads? Yes, he was one of the three cats from the prophecy but that still didn't change the fact that he was still, just one cat.

Jayfeather stopped for a moment, trying to figure out where he was. He hadn't realized he had left the camp and was now deep in the forest. He listened to the sound of the leaves rustle above his head as a gentle breeze blew; the scent of earth and fresh prey filled his nose as he eased his way through the undergrowth. He started to head towards the lake, going to the spot where there was a small hill.

He sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws as he let the small wind that blew off the lake surround him. It carried the scent of WindClan, and the scent of the sun-high patrol which was steadily growing stronger. He tilted his ear and turned his head as he heard the undergrowth rustle and scented Lionblaze as he walked out of the brush.

He sensed his brothers' shock as the older tom walked up to him.

"Hey, I thought I caught your scent. What are you doing out here, shouldn't you be helping Briarlight with her stretches?" Lionblaze asked as he sat beside him, his pelt brushing Jayfeather's in an affectionate gesture.

Jayfeather stayed silent. The truth was he had forgotten about the young she-cat when he stormed off. He felt another stab of guilt for forgetting about her, but yet again he pushed it down as he closed his eyes and listened to the birds singing around them. He wasn't going to answer his brother's question, even though he could feel the tom staring at him with questioning eyes. Jayfeather sighed and shook his head slightly before standing up. He started to turn around when he felt Lionblaze brush his tail against his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay? You haven't been yourself lately."

Jayfeather forced himself to look over his shoulder and stared at his brother with his unseeing blue eyes. "Yes, I'm fine, just a bit tired is all."

He could tell his brother didn't believe him but was glad when the tom didn't push the subject.

"Okay, then you should go get yourself some rest." Lionblaze said, concern laced his words as he padded up and bumped his head against Jayfeathers' shoulder lightly.

"Yeah, I will after I get a few more catmint leaves." Jayfeather sensed a wave of guilt and worry wash over his brother before quickly adding "There's nothing to worry about, we still have plenty. I just want to make sure I'm well stocked if we have a breakout of Green Cough. " That seemed to have calmed his brother down and he started to head back to the patrol, throwing a quick good bye as he dashed through the underbrush.

Jayfeather sighed and went back to the spot he had been sitting at before Lionblaze had interrupted him. Closing his eyes he listened to the wind, trying to hear the whispers of the long forgotten cats that had lived around the lake so many moons before them. But there was nothing, no whispers, faint scents, just, nothing.

He let out another annoyed hiss as he unsheathed his claws and sank them into the moist soil. Why couldn't he get any answers? Why wouldn't they talk to him? The questions just kept coming, making his head spin.

He knew the answer.

It was because he had broken the stick, losing what little connection he had with Rock, the ancient cat who marked the stick, or with any of the other ancient cats. A feeling of lose and loneliness came over him as he stood up and went to gather some catmint.

It was sunset before Jayfeather came back to camp with a small bundle of catmint in his mouth. As he padded into his den and started to sort the leaves, he had never felt more alone in his life. After finishing that and forcing Briarlight to eat the mixed herbs he curled up in his nest and fell into a fitful sleep.

**Lionblaze**

Lionblaze ran to catch up to the sun-high patrol, consisting of himself, Birchfall, Brackenfur, Cinderheart, and Ivypaw. He had been surprised to find Jayfeather out of camp. The blind grey tom was always keeping a close eye on Briarlight since the incident with the tree limb. Lionblaze felt his heart twist remembering Longtail. The elder had run after Mousefur who ran back into the camp after Briarlight when the tree fell. It had killed him instantly and had broken Briarlight's' spine.

Lionblaze shook away the depressing thoughts as he slowed down and came to a slow walk with Cinderheart.

The grey tabby she-cat looked at him and flicked her tail before asking curiously. "Hey, where'd you run off to?"

"Oh, I was just checking in on my brother. I picked up his scent and decided to see what he was up to." He replied, remembering the weird haunted look in his younger brother's eyes.

"Mmm, have you noticed he's been looking down recently?" She asked, leaping up and over a fallen log while he glided underneath it.

He nodded, worriedly. Ever since Lionblaze had found his brother's stick broken in half along the shore he had been acting weirdly. "Yeah, he just as a lot on his mind, with that battle with ShadowClan, Briarlight, and Firestar losing a life, I wouldn't blame him for feeling down. He's probably stressed."

Cinderheart nodded before quickening her pace to catch up with the others. Lionblaze did the same, as he ran he tried to push his worries about his brother away.

Lionblaze pushed his way through the bramble covered tunnel as he made his way into ThunderClan's camp. The patrol hadn't run into any trouble and decided to do some hunting before they had gotten back. He carried his catch, two mice and a sparrow, to the fresh kill pile before picking one of his mice and carrying it over to where Dovepaw laid eating a squirrel.

He sat down beside her and started eating; taking a juicy bite out of the mouse before turning towards his apprentice and asking "Have you noticed Jayfeather acting strangely?"

Dovepaw paused, her mouth about ready to take another bite of the squirrel before closing it and looking back at him. "Kinda, but I really haven't been paying much attention to him. I know he has something heavy on his mind though, but I don't know what exactly."

Lionblaze nodded slowly before taking another bite of mouse. "Yeah, I ran into him on patrol," He felt Dovepaw look at him as he stared down at his paws. "He was sitting on that hill that overlooks the lake. He had this weird look in his eyes, almost a haunted look, but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

The two ate in silence for awhile until Dovepaw spoke up. "If there's something bothering him we should try and figure out what it is so we can help him. After all, we are The Three." Lionblaze glanced at her as she finished off her squirrel and stood up. There was an odd gleam in her blue eyes.

"Yeah," he said, finishing the rest of his mouse and standing up to. "Hey Dovepaw, do you know where his is right now?" he asked as he looked at the sky. It was way past sun high, and the sun would be setting soon.

Dovepaw tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them again. "He's by the abandoned Two-leg nest picking catmint."

Lionblaze nodded, feeling slightly guilty for suspecting his brother was lying when he said he had to pick some more of the plant's leaves. "Okay then, well let's ask him about it tomorrow okay."

Dovepaw nodded before breaking out into a huge yawn.

"Hey, go get some sleep before you go on the night patrol." He said batting one of her ears. She gave him a weak glare before nodding and heading towards the apprentice den where Ivypaw, her sister, moved away as she curled up in her nest. Lionblaze stared sympathetically at his apprentice before heading to the warriors den and curling up in his nest.

It was sunset when he saw his brother return to camp with a mouthful of catmint leaves. Feeling better that his brother was back, Lionblaze drifted off to sleep.

**Jayfeather**

Jayfeather watched as Briarlight ate the herb mix and bent down to listen to her breathing. It was fine, there was no watery noise. He gave a silent sigh of relief before he started to help her do her stretches.

Briar collapsed onto her nest when they were done and instantly fell asleep. Jayfeather smiles sadly at the young warrior and for the millionth time wished he could do more for her. He felt so powerless, and it killed him. Giving her one more sniff he headed out of the den and went to the fresh kill pile. He picked a mouse for himself and a pigeon for Briarlight and he headed back to the medicine cat den. Placing the pigeon beside Briarlight's nest Jayfeather quickly ate his mouse and headed out to the forest.

Again he found himself heading towards the hill near the lake as he walked through the forest. He had this weird feeling he was being followed but each time he stopped to scent the air and listen, he didn't find anything. By the time he had arrived at the hill his nerves were all jittery.

Sighing he layed down and faced the lake, again letting the small breeze float around him. Like last time it carried the scent of WindClan but also the cold crisp scent of the mountains. Jayfeather's mind went back to the ancient cats, wishing they would speak to him. To give him some answers about the Dark Forest or even if there was a way to help Briarlight.

He flattened his ears as another wave of helplessness came over him. If he was one of The Three why couldn't he help Briarlight? Why couldn't he have stopped the unnecessary battle and death with ShadowClan? Why couldn't he have saved his sister, Hollyleaf?

Jayfeather felt a choked sob tear its way up his throat as he fought back the tears that threatened to spill. He flinched when he felt a warm pelt press against him and the scent of his brother surrounded him.

Jayfeather squeezed his eyes shut as the first tears started to run down, soaking his grey fur. He tried to hold back the sobs that ranked his body but he couldn't hold back any longer, his shield cracked and he let it all come out; the pain of losing his sister, fear of what Tigerstar and the other Dark Forest cats are going to do, and not being able to help Briarlight.

He didn't know how long he stayed there crying. But he was glad that his brother was there to comfort him. Soon the sobs turned into hiccups, and the hiccups faded into silent tears. They stayed like that for a long time, both brothers silent, taking comfort in each other's presence.

Finally, it was Lionblaze who broke the silence.

"Hey, are you okay now?" He asked as Jayfeather closed his eyes and nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jayfeather sighed and opened his eyes up slightly and spoke in a cracked voice "I don't know what to do." He fought off a sob as he started to talk. "I don't know what to do. I wasn't able to save Hollyleaf; I couldn't see that Ivypaw was lying about her vision causing a pointless battle that had taken the life of Russetfur and caused Firestar to lose another of his lives."

Jayfeather took a gulp of air as he fought another wave of sobs. He closed his eyes and waited for a few moments before continuing. "A-and I can't even help Briarlight. What kind of medicine cat am I?" His voice cracked at the end as a fresh stream of tears poured down.

"Come on now, you're trying the best you can. No one else could have done anything different with Briarlight's condition." His brother purred softly, stroking his tail along Jayfeather's flank. "And as for Ivypaw, I don't know about that. But what happened to Russetfur wasn't your fault," Jayfeather sensed Lionblaze hesitate as he thought back to the battle, a wave of guilt running through him "Even though it was an accident, it was my fault."

They drifted back into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Jayfeather blinked slowly as he let out a defeated sigh. "What about Hollyleaf then? I was there when she went into that tunnel, I could have stopped her. I could have-" His voice cracked as he remembered his sister running further into the tunnel as it started to collapse.

"If you would have went in there, you would have been killed too." His brother said in a hollowed voice. This was a subject they always tried to avoid, the one about their sister.

Jayfeather felt his throat tighten at his brother's words. He was right, but it left a taste even more bitter than mouse bile in his mouth.

Suddenly Jayfeather found himself lying on his back with a face full of fur. He gasped in shock as he tried to kick his brother off of him. "Wh-what the heck are you doing?" He hissed.

Jayfeather felt his brother's purr vibrate in his chest as he nipped at his ear. "Seeing you like this is freaking me out. So stop it already and let's play, we haven't done that in a long time."

He just stared wide eyed at his brother, his jaw going slack. The subject had gone from depressing to playful fun way to fast, leaving his mind struggling to catch up. "Huh, wha…play?" He stuttered before batting his brother's face when he nipped at Jayfeater's ear again.

"Ow, stop that!" Jayfeather hissed as his brother pawed him in the face.

"No way, not until you stop being all gloomy!" His brother purred in amusement before giving a loud grunt as he was knocked off by Jayfeather's hind paws.

"Hey, that was a cheap trick." Lionblaze hissed as he stood up and shook himself, giving out a startled yowl when Jayfeather jumped and latched onto his back.

"All is fair brother." Jayfeather said purring sweetly as he nipped at Lionblaze's ear.

"Oh really?" His brother said wickedly before dropping and rolling onto his back, crushing the blind tom with fur and knocking him off. Jayfeather spat out the clump of fur in his mouth and glared at his brother hissing. "Now it's on!"

When the two toms returned to camp it was past sun high. They had spent most of the day acting like kits, playing and wrestling with each other. Before they parted Jayfeather bumped his brother slightly. In a quiet voice he said "Thanks for cheering me up today."

Lionblaze gave a small purr and gently cuffed his little brother's ear "Don't mention it. I was worried about you. If you ever want to talk about things that are upsetting you, just talk to me about it okay."

Jayfeather nodded and started to head back to his den when Dovepaw walked up. "You were supposed to wait for me!" she cried as Lionblaze tried to calm his apprentice down.

"You could have listened to it from here." Lionblaze stated poorly as Dovepaw continued to glare at him.

"Yeah, but I was being nice and not eavesdropping!" She snapped back.

Jayfeather gave out a small sigh and shook his head as he continued to head back to his den. He felt better after talking to his brother about what was troubling him. As he walked into the den he checked on Briarlight who was still asleep. The pigeon he had left for her was almost gone.

He smiled, happy that she had gotten her apetite back and headed to his nest. Curling up in the soft moss he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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**Reviews are nice ^^**


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